WILD LIFE ON THE WING 
set on edge by her last alarm, and her first 
impulse was to hide under the bank and leave 
the eggs to their fate, but all the awakening 
mother-love in her rose up to combat the de- 
sire. Instead, she swam boldly up and stepped 
boldly on to her eggs, clucking softly, and the 
rat sheered off discreetly at her approach. 
She sat down quietly and listened to the chorus 
of complaint and anticipation which came 
from the chipping eggs under her breast, but 
all the while she glanced behind her lest the 
rat, or the fox perhaps, should spring upon her 
from behind. 
The Dark Pool shrank still more during the 
night, and in the morning there was only a 
paltry channel of muddy water eighteen inches 
wide to separate the nest from the bank. It 
was a cloudless May day, and even the Pool 
sparkled in the sunshine. The crowfoot flowers 
opened adoring yellow eyes to the sun, and the 
pale sanicle unfolded in shady places along 
the bank. All the flowers which grew near 
the Dark Pool were pale, as though starving 
for sunshine. 
At noon Cearc-uise felt the heave of the nest- 
lings under her breast, and clucked a motherly 
benediction upon them. Two had already 
dried into perfect puff-balls ; another, squirm- 
ing between his warmer brethren, was still 
18 
